Yesteryear (episode)
Spock travels back in time to prevent his own demise in his youth on Vulcan. Summary :"Captain's Log, Stardate 5373.4. We are in orbit around the planet of the time vortex, the focus of all the timelines of our galaxy. Our mission is to assist a team of historians in the investigation of Federation history." As Federation historians Aleek-Om, Grey, and Enterprise CMO McCoy record history, while standing outside the Guardian of Forever, the Guardian announces the return of the travelers, Kirk, Spock and historian Erikson, through its gateway after a mission to observe the dawn of Orion civilization. As the travelers begin to appear, one-by-one, Kirk announces how exciting it was to observe the birth of a civilization, just as the last traveler, Spock, emerges from the Guardian, much to the surprise of Grey and McCoy. McCoy inquires who it is they brought back with them, and the puzzled Kirk informs him that it is Spock. The crew beam back to the ship and are greeted by Scotty. Scotty was not expecting a Vulcan among those he transported back, and was anticipating one of the historians instead. The annoyed Kirk instructs Scotty that he expects his first officer to be treated with respect, just as an Andorian crewmember enters the transporter room stating that no one has ever treated him otherwise. Kirk inquires as to who it is speaking to him, as McCoy then re-introduces Commander Thelin to him, the Enterprise s first officer for the last five years. Spock and Kirk finally come to the realization that what they have encountered is not a game, and question what it is going on. :"Captain's Log, supplemental. When we were in the time vortex, something appears to have changed the present as we know it. No one aboard recognizes Mr. Spock. The only answer is: that the past was somehow altered." In a staff meeting, Lieutenant Erikson reviews the tricorder logs from their mission, and observes that there is nothing they could have possibly done to change the events of the future. Spock then surmises that the change in the timeline must have happened while they were in Orion's past. The meeting is then interrupted by Bates, who just checked the Starfleet records on Spock that were requested by Thelin. Bates reports that there is no Vulcan named Spock serving with the Starfleet in any capacity. Thelin then inquires about the results of the Vulcan family history request, which Bates then related to the screen. Bates transmits an image featuring Sarek of Vulcan, and notes that he has been an ambassador to seventeen Federation planets in the past 30 years. Spock notes that this information is not correct and inquires about Sarek's family – his wife and son. Bates then transmits an image of Amanda Grayson, the former wife of Sarek, from whom she separated following the death of their son. Amanda was later killed in a shuttle accident at Lunaport on her way home to Earth. Spock mourns briefly for his mother, then inquires as to the name of the son that died, only for his name to be revealed as Spock, age seven. Kirk, Spock and Thelin return to the surface of the planet to confer with Aleek-Om and Grey on what happened. Kirk asks if the Guardian was in use while they were away, and Grey informs him that it was used, in a limited capacity, to scan recent Vulcan history, twenty to thirty Vulcan years past. Kirk then wonders if there is any notation on the death of Sarek's son, and Aleek-Om confirms that there was, and that he had died during the kahs-wan maturity test. Spock then recalls the date of the event in question, the 20th day of Tasmeen, noting that it was the day that his cousin Selek saved his life in the desert when he was attacked by a wild animal. Although Spock cannot remember the finer details of the event, he recalls that that was also the only time he had ever met Selek. On a hunch, Kirk asks if perhaps this cousin might have looked like Spock looks now, only for Spock to confirm what Kirk was thinking: Spock saved his own life in the original timeline, but was unable to do it a second time because he was in Orion's past when the time vortex replayed Vulcan history, making it impossible for him to be in two places at one time. With the realization of what transpired, Kirk asks the Guardian if there is any way they can reverse what happened. The Guardian confirms that there is, but only as long as no other important factor is changed. Spock decides that in order for him to save his mother's and his own life he has to return to Vulcan and correct what has been changed. Before his departure, he requests a Vulcan desert soft suit and boots, as well as a small selection of street wear and carry bag, circa 8877 Vulcan year, from the ship's wardrobe section. A brief conversation with Thelin reveals that he bodes no ill-will towards Spock's quest, despite that this quest would change the commander's timeline as well. He considers it a reasonable sacrifice in order to save Spock's family. Likewise, Spock wishes Thelin a long and prosperous life in whatever circumstances the hopefully repaired timeline would put him in. Spock enters the Guardian and travels back to his hometown ShiKahr, in the month of Tasmeen, thirty years in the past in 2237. :"Personal Log, Stardate 5373.5, subjective time. I have returned to the past in an attempt to restore the future. I am home, and I have almost forgotten its beauty." He meets his father Sarek and his younger self (who is being harassed by three young Vulcan bullies), and introduces himself as cousin Selek. :"Personal Log, Stardate 5373.9, subjective time. The timeline seems to have changed again, yet I do not believe I have done anything to disrupt it. My memory is quite clear regarding the date my cousin saved my life and it is tomorrow. The ''kahs-wan ordeal is an ancient rite of warrior days. When Vulcans turned to logic, they reasoned they must maintain the tests of courage and strength to keep pure logic from making them weak and helpless." Young Spock goes on his ''kahs-wan a month early on his own will. His pet sehlat I-Chaya follows him into the Vulcan desert, defying young Spock's authority. :"Personal Log. The boy, Spock, should be moving towards the L-langon Mountains, he – I, had much to prove to myself. The personal ordeal upon which I embarked was meant to determine the course my life would take." In the desert, the couple are attacked by a ferocious le-matya. Adult Spock, who had been following the two into the desert, intervenes and saves young Spock's life. Unlike the way adult Spock remembers this episode, I-Chaya is badly injured from the battle and is dying. Young Spock sets out to find a healer in the city, while adult Spock uses a nerve pinch to help ease I-Chaya's pain. ]] Although Young Spock is successful, I-Chaya is too far gone by the time the healer arrives. The healer gives young Spock the choice to give I-Chaya a longer, but painful life, or to release him from his suffering. Spock chooses to release I-Chaya from life, the most logical way, and, in doing so, chooses to follow the Vulcan ways of his father. The timeline is saved and Spock returns from the Guardian as first officer. Before beaming back to the Enterprise, Spock laments the death of I-Chaya to Kirk, admitting that this did not happen the first time around. Back on the ship, McCoy is complaining when it is Spock's turn to take the routine physical, and the fact that he has to recalibrate his equipment for a Vulcan. Spock tells him that if he wasn't recalibrating for a Vulcan he would be recalibrating for an Andorian. McCoy asks if this is some sort of joke, reminding Spock that Vulcans don't tell jokes. To this Spock responds, "Times change, Doctor. Times change." Memorable Quotes "Is it possible for Spock to return to Vulcan and repair the time line that has been broken so all is the same as before?" "It is possible if no other major factor is changed." : - Kirk and The Guardian "What a trip, Bones!" : - Kirk, to McCoy after emerging from the Guardian of Forever "In the family, all is silence. No more will be said of it. Live long and prosper, Sarek of Vulcan." : - Spock (as Selek) to Sarek "Who are you?" "Oh, I'm sure you'd know Thelin by now, Jim. He's been your First Officer for five years." : - Kirk and McCoy "What you do not yet understand, Spock, is that Vulcans do not lack emotion. It is only that ours is controlled. Logic offers a serenity Humans seldom experience in full. We have emotions, but we deal with them... and do not let them control us." : - Spock, to his younger self "Earther! Barbarian! Emotional Earther! You're a Terran, Spock! You could never be a true Vulcan!" "That is not true! My father..." "Your father brought shame to Vulcan. He married a human! You haven't even mastered a simple Vulcan neck pinch yet, Earther!" : - Sofek and Spock "What's the matter, Bones!" "Who's he, Jim?" "Whadda you mean, 'Who's he'? You know Mr. Spock." "'' 'Fraid I don't, Jim." : - '''Kirk' and McCoy "One small thing was changed this time. A pet... died." "A ''pet?" : - '''Spock' and Kirk, after Spock returns to the present "Every life comes to an end when time demands it. Loss of life is to be mourned but only if the life was wasted." : - Spock Background Information Story and Script * The writer of "Yesteryear", Dorothy "D.C." Fontana, was a writer and story consultant for the original series of Star Trek, and also served as the producer of the franchise's animated series. She said, "When I came to the animated show, I wanted to do at least one script." (Where No One Has Gone Before, p. 56) This episode is the only one she wrote for the animated Star Trek. * Prior to the writing of this animated episode – with its portrayal of a boyhood Spock – a young version of him had been temporarily considered for inclusion as a regular character in Star Trek s animated series, along with other child equivalents of the series' main characters. (The Art of Star Trek, pp. 42 & 43) * "Yesteryear" is the sequel to the original series episode and ties in with the TOS episodes that depict the planet Vulcan – specifically, (which Dorothy Fontana also wrote) and . Noted Fontana, "I wanted to do 'Yesteryear' as a touch-back to the original series." She elaborated, " Yesteryear' resulted from my looking back at the things we had done on the series and remembering the time portal from 'City on the Edge of Forever' the Guardian of Forever." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 97) Fontana kept thinking about the Guardian and knew she wanted to feature Spock in the story, since he had always been her favorite of the main characters and was the focus of her favorite episodes from the ones she had written for TOS, such as "Journey to Babel" and . (Where No One Has Gone Before, p. 56) She recollected, "I thought we could use Guardian for a legitimate trip, but then have something happen so that Spock has to return to Vulcan to his childhood." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 97) The reuse of the Guardian of Forever from "The City on the Edge of Forever" was not only a tie-in to one of the most popular episodes of the original series but also minimized the need for exposition concerning time travel, which was important since Fontana already intended so much backstory, unrelated to the Guardian, to be in this episode. (episode text commentary) In fact, she once referred to the Guardian of Forever as "an ideal way to put Spock back into his childhood, which was the story I wanted to do." * Dorothy Fontana was, indeed, eager to explore some of Spock's early history and was also excited about the opportunity to depict the Vulcan homeworld via the medium of animation. "We could probe into these characters," she related, "and see the beginning of some of the trouble with Spock and Sarek, Amanda's problems back then and part of what made Spock Spock." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 97) At the time she plotted the installment, one of the questions Fontana asked herself – she having explored the mature state of the relationship between Spock and Sarek in "Journey to Babel" – was, "How had that relationship been before, why did it evolve?" (Where No One Has Gone Before, p. 56) Fontana also tried to utilize animation in such a way as to show a more expansive portrayal of the planet Vulcan than had previously been possible. She said, "I was mindful of Gene Roddenberry's rule that writers must take advantage of the enormous range animation gave us, in terms of 'sets' and aliens .... Animation ... would allow us to show the planet Vulcan any way I saw fit. Although it had been established in 'Amok Time' that most of the planet was desert, I wanted to depict other aspects of Vulcan." (Babel #5; Enterprise Incidents, number 11, p. 26) Fontana also stated, "We never really could Vulcan on the original series except, in 'Amok Time', we had a ceremonial circle, very small piece. We could show the whole planet of Vulcan, and a lot more of it, in the animation. So, that was one of the reasons I wanted to do the story." Fontana summarized the enthusiasm she had felt at the time; "I realized that here was a way to tell a really nice Vulcan story in a way that would look good. But more than that, I thought, let's show what made Spock Spock; it was an absolutely ideal way to do it because of the freedom that the animation allowed us. For instance, we could show a great deal of ShiKahr home city and the surface of Vulcan, the desert, the city and environment of the home, and the strange creatures that lived there, the Le-matya and ... the sehlat." (Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 1, Issue 2, p. 87) * The creation of the Vulcan city ShiKahr was influenced by Dorothy Fontana considering where the eminent Ambassador Sarek might reside, a question she had pondered years beforehand. "Reasonably, he would maintain his residence in a city, probably the capital," Fontana noted. "Therefore, I created ShiKahr as the foremost city of Vulcan. I had visualized this city before in an early draft of 'Journey to Babel' .... I still saw the city from the way I had in ." (Babel #5; Enterprise Incidents, number 11, p. 26) * Dorothy Fontana also reused the concept of Spock having had a pet sehlat in his youth, the creature having been spoken about (though without Spock's particular sehlat being named) in "Journey to Babel". Fontana observed, "You now finally get to ''see a sehlat, which could only be referred to in 'Journey to Babel'." (Where No One Has Gone Before, p. 57) Another influence on the ''sehlat I-Chaya was a cat that Fontana owned, which was named Bobby McGee (after that popularized). (episode text commentary) Shortly after working on the episode, Fontana remarked, "As to who and what I-Chaya would be as a character, I decided he would be closely patterned on my large cat, Bobby McGee. While Bobby is not old and fat, he has the same affection, snuggle-ability, the fastest claws in the West, and complete disregard for orders. 'One word from me, and he does exactly as he pleases.' The statement fits both Bobby and I-Chaya." The potentially more vicious nature of the sehlat, however, was noted in the episode's teleplay, as Fontana later remembered. "My written description of a sehlat in the 'Yesteryear' script includes something to this effect: 'Make one wrong move, and a sehlat will rip your arm off. However, Vulcans don't make wrong moves. That would be illogical. " Although the sehlat is commonly referred to as "Eye-chi-ah" in the final version of the episode, Fontana much preferred the pronunciation "EE-chi-ah," which is how the name was phonetically spelled in the installment's script. (Babel #5; Enterprise Incidents, number 11, pp. 27 & 29) * The euthanising of I-Chaya was meant to represent a moral for youngsters. "I felt strongly about dealing with the death of a pet," remembered Dorothy Fontana. "It was a very serious thing for kids. We were trying to put across a lesson to children, that when it comes time for an animal to die, if he must go, it should be with dignity." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 97) Fearing that children would be "upset" by the depiction of euthanasia, however, NBC executives wanted the ending of this episode changed, but Fontana refused and Gene Roddenberry supported her decision. (The Trek 25th Anniversary Celebration; episode text commentary, et al.) Years later, Fontana reflected, "I had a healer euthanize an animal on-screen, and NBC was very nervous about that, but Gene Roddenberry said, 'Trust Dorothy. " Fontana additionally remembered that Roddenberry had also assured the network, "She'll handle it." (Where No One Has Gone Before, p. 56) NBC thereafter followed Roddenberry's advice, allowing the example of euthanasia to be shown. (episode text commentary) Concluded Fontana, "I really appreciated his confidence in me. So I handled it, I think, in a sensitive way." (Where No One Has Gone Before, p. 56) * According to D.C. Fontana, she intended the name "Vulcan's Forge" literally, due to the dangers existing therein. One of these perils was sucker vines; they were imagined as lying dormant on the ground until a source of liquid wandered nearby, at which point the plant life would rise up, seize their victim and forcibly drain it of its fluid. These vines were written into the script but could only be shown fleetingly, due to NBC censorship. (Babel #5; Enterprise Incidents, number 11, pp. 26 & 27) * This episode's script specified that the Andorian character of Thelin was to have blue skin. * The script also declared that no moon was to be pictured in the Vulcan sky. (Babel #5; Enterprise Incidents, number 11, p. 27) * D.C. Fontana thoroughly enjoyed working on this episode. She enthused, "It was great." (Where No One Has Gone Before, p. 57) Production * For the time vortex planet, Filmation's background artists recreated the planet's look from "The City on the Edge of Forever", painting the planet's backgrounds under the auspices of art director Don Christensen as well as director of color (and background director) Ervin Kaplan. (episode text commentary) * Just as D.C. Fontana had planned, Filmation's artists were able, with expansive background paintings, to create grander vistas for the planet Vulcan than had been doable in the original series. (episode text commentary) Inspiring and witnessing the creation of the city ShiKahr was thrilling for Fontana. "Remember, up to that point, we'd never seen a Vulcan city of any kind," she pointed out. "I could describe the way it should be laid out, to my mind, and they drew it." (Where No One Has Gone Before, p. 57) * The fact that a long shot of ShiKahr portrays a huge planetoid in the Vulcan sky, despite the script having specified that the planet Vulcan was to have no moon, was a mistake made during production. D.C. Fontana reflected, "Frankly, it was an error on the part of the animation house. The problem lies in the fact that, once past the story board, ''no one – no artist – ever referred to the script or descriptions .... A preliminary drawing of the long shot included the huge orb in the sky. Both Gene Roddenberry and I noted, 'NO MOON!' on the sketch when it came to us for approval. Someone didn't get the word, and the final print shows that satellite in the Vulcan sky." By , several people had asked what the orb was and the production personnel had had to dismiss it as being a sister planet. (''Babel #5; Enterprise Incidents, number 11, p. 27) * Similarly, in contradiction to the episode's script, the Andorian Thelin was given a much paler complexion than those of known Andorians, due to the coloring practices of Filmation; in the animated series, Andorians are sometimes grayish rather than blue, and Orions are commonly pale blue or yellowish instead of green. * According to the unauthorized reference book Boldly Writing (p. 5), the design of the sehlat I-Chaya was influenced by a speculative article about such creatures, published in the fanzine "Spockanalia 5". Boldly Writing states, "In this piece, the author looks at precedents in nature to see what sort of animal would have six-inch fangs. The author concludes, 'And so our portrait of the ''sehlat: a carnivore or just possibly tushed omnivore, general shape that of a giant panda, size on the order of an Alaskan brown bear, highly intelligent, and despite the six-inch fangs, of a patient and gentle disposition.... Question: did the sehlat belong to Spock, or was Spock in the care of the sehlat?' The Star Trek production staff read this article, and animators incorporated many of the suggestions into the drawing of the sehlat I-Chaya." http://fanlore.org/wiki/Spockanalia * Another basis for the animated appearance of the ''sehlat was an illustration that fantasy and science fiction artist Alicia Austin drew for D.C. Fontana, who remembered, "Alicia Austin came up with several variations on what a ''sehlat looks like. I chose one of the early ones as a model – with modifications .... I-Chaya has a different kind of tail, different shape of face, the broken fang." (''Babel #5; Enterprise Incidents, number 11, p. 27) Fontana purposefully instructed the Filmation artists to break off the creature's tooth, in order to give the animal a more aged appearance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lfmUO3Pm_U&feature=relmfu Cast * With the addition of this episode, Mark Lenard (Sarek) became one of only three actors, besides the regulars, to play the same character on both this series and Star Trek: The Original Series. * Before Mark Lenard was available for the episode, James Doohan was originally set to voice Sarek and actually recorded the character's lines of dialogue, over which Lenard's voice was thereafter looped. (Star Trek: Communicator issue 119, p. 78) * According to D.C. Fontana, the practicalities of casting would have meant that trying to produce this as a live-action episode would have been extremely challenging. "It would have been far more difficult to do it live, because we would have had to have a young Spock, a young actor, and that was a difficult role. As it was, we managed to get a boy whose voice was quite good, and we were able to pull it off that way." Billy Simpson, who was selected for the role, later recalled his audition for the episode; "It was 1973 and I was nine years old when my agent called with an audition at Filmation Studios for a new animated ''Star Trek show. Having not really been too aware of the original series, I didn't really appreciate how important this role could be! I was given a rather extensive stack of sides to study in the waiting room (usually it's just one sample scene from the script) and then was called into a recording studio with director Hal Sutherland in the booth. He rolled tape as I recorded all of the isolated lines marked 'Young Spock' and that was it." http://www.startrekanimated.com/tas_billy_simpson.html The director liked the audition audio tape to such a degree that he used it for the actual episode. (episode text commentary) "''A day or two later, the agent called with the exciting news that I got the part!" Simpson exclaimed. "When asked when the recording date would be, I was told that I already did it!" Simpson ultimately felt the "cold reading" quality of the tape was readily apparent from listening to the episode, including audible hesitation on "some of the unusual character names I had to pronounce." He especially regretted one particular reading. "The preceding line stated something to the effect that it would be impossible to bring the injured I-Chaya to a healer," remarked Simpson. "My line should have had the inflection, 'I will bring a healer HERE,' but instead was 'I will bring a HEALER here.' Having been unaware of the context, that seemed the 'logical' reading." http://www.startrekanimated.com/tas_billy_simpson.html * Hal Sutherland's son, Keith Sutherland, provided the voice of young Spock's tormentor. (episode text commentary) * The dialogue from this episode's script was recorded with the full regular cast in attendance (the first time they had reunited since filming of the original series ended in January 1969). This recording session was at Filmation's studios in Reseda, California, in June 1973 (on or shortly prior to the fourth of that month), and also included recording of the vocals for and . (Star Trek: Communicator issue 119, p. 32; The Star Trek Compendium, 4th ed., p. 143) Some of the cast's lines from this installment were later rerecorded at a later date. (Babel #5; Enterprise Incidents, number 11, p. 27) * The change regarding the pronunciation of I-Chaya from "EE-chi-ah" to "Eye-chi-ah" happened amid the recording of the episode's vocals. Although the series' regular cast consistently said the former (and, according to D.C. Fontana, "proper") version during the recording of the script, Billy Simpson was told that the name was to be pronounced "Eye-chi-ah" and therefore repeatedly did so on his audition tape. D.C. Fontana concluded, "Rather than call him back to re-record at extra expense, the regular cast changed the name in pick-up lines read at the next recording session." (Babel #5; Enterprise Incidents, number 11, p. 27) Continuity * D.C. Fontana once remarked that, due to her interest in making this installment a "touch-back" to the original series, the episode "does have a lot of references back." One element that Fontana thought importantly linked this episode with other canon Star Trek was its depiction of the relationship between Kirk and Spock, such as Kirk being the only inhabitant of the alternate timeline who remembers the half-Vulcan officer. "There is a continuity of friendship between Kirk and Spock," opined Fontana, "binding this adventure into the total ''Star Trek concept .... Without such ties to the original Star Trek concept, 'Yesteryear' would merely have been an interesting adventure that had no real relationship to the overall show – a dramatic diversion, but not consistent with series continuity." (''Babel #5; Enterprise Incidents, number 11, p. 29) * Although Michael and Denise Okuda originally decided that the animated series would not be canonical, they also stipulated that this episode is the only exception, stating their reasoning as "partly because it is reinforced by material in 'Unification I' and 'Journey to Babel', but also because of Fontana's pivotal role in developing the background for the Spock character in the original ''Star Trek series." (Star Trek Chronology, pp. 29-30) It is not only the Okudas who accept the events of this episode to be canonical; many other production staffers also do. (Star Trek Monthly issue 6, p. 22, et al.) * Spock's survival in the past required that he travel in time to save himself. Therefore, within the logic of the episode, the "normal" timeline is actually an altered timeline. * The characters of Sarek and Amanda, as well as Andorians, were reused, from "Journey to Babel", here (although Andorians also appear in , and , all three of which are TOS episodes that were produced and are set between this outing and "Journey to Babel"). Sarek, Amanda and Andorians went on to appear in numerous productions after this one. * The "family shrine" that Spock tells Sarek he is on a journey to was meant to be, according to D.C. Fontana, an allusion to the ceremonial grounds in "Amok Time". (''Babel #5; Enterprise Incidents, number 11, p. 27) * D.C. Fontana's concerns over depicting the massive planetoid in Vulcan's sky were because, in , Spock tells Uhura that "Vulcan has no moon." The theatrical edit of later featured a similar large body, but for the director's cut of that film, it was decided to remove the planet. * This is the first of three animated episodes that do not feature any scenes set on the bridge of the . The two subsequent episodes that exclude the location are and . * Amanda's maiden name, Grayson, was first established here and later mentioned in . * The city of ShiKahr essentially resurfaces on an okudagram in , as it includes the holoprogram title "Shi-Kar Desert Survival, Vulcan," which is also a subtler reference to Spock's kahs-wan. The city is again indirectly mentioned in , in reference to the Shi'Kahr Academy, and later serves as the namesake for the , seen but not mentioned in . A Vulcan city which looks very similar to Shi'Kahr is shown in the new establishing shots used in the remastered version of "Amok Time". * An okudagram that features in references the Sepek Academic Scholarship, which partly shares its name with a Vulcan child who appears in this episode. * The title of "healer," for a Vulcan physician, is referred to for Healer Senva in . * Both Lunaport and the kahs-wan are mentioned in . * Vulcan's Forge is later referenced in and is the focus of a three-episode ENT arc: , , and . The location reappears in in the first installment of that trilogy, but not in the other two episodes. * The sehlat, having first appeared in animated form in this episode, was recreated in CGI for Star Trek: Enterprise and features in "The Forge". * Spock's dialog to his younger self, regarding logic offering "a serenity Humans seldom experience," is revisited by in the film , in which Spock likewise travels through time and meets . The film also depicts, with almost the exact same taunts, the confrontation of young Spock and three Vulcan bullies – though, in that version, Spock's physical response is much more effective. Reception and Aftermath * On 4 June 1973, NBC made the announcement that Star Trek s regular cast had reunited to record the script for this installment (as well as the teleplays for an additional two episodes). (Star Trek: Communicator issue 119, p. 32) * Even though this installment of the animated Star Trek series was the second to air in most of the United States, it was the first to be telecast in Los Angeles. As George Takei was running for a District Councilman post in that area, the broadcast of any episode in which he vocally features was considered unfair by his opponents, who demanded equal airtime. Therefore, this episode was swapped with series pilot because, unlike that installment, this one does not include Takei's vocals. (episode text commentary; DVD booklet) * D.C. Fontana, who did not see this episode until the day of its telecast, believed that fan reaction to this episode was initially negative. Shortly after its first airing, she remarked, "I'm sure when it was announced that my ''Star Trek animation script 'Yesteryear' was about Spock as a boy and included his sehlat, a lot of fans thought I had sold out to a kiddy show. Now that the episode has been on the air, I hope that notion has been disabused." (''Babel #5; Enterprise Incidents, number 11, pp. 26 & 27) * Although executives at NBC were nervous about how controversial the euthanasia in this episode would prove, the television network never received a single letter of complaint about the story. (Where No One Has Gone Before..., p. 57, et al.) Years afterwards, D.C. Fontana remarked, "We did not get one letter of complaint, so apparently we did it right." * In , D.C. Fontana wrote an article that explained her intentions in writing the episode and defended the importance of I-Chaya's death in the context of the plot. She commented, "I-Chaya's death was absolutely necessary to the story. Part of Spock's training had to do with the facing of responsibilities and realities. One of the greatest weaknesses of children's programming on television, especially animation, is the presentation of total non-reality. Things ''do die – plants, pets and people. Is there anyone who, as a child, has not suffered the loss of a pet? In deciding that I-Chaya should die with peace and dignity rather than pain and suffering, Young Spock accepted reality and responsibility." (''Babel #5; Enterprise Incidents, number 11, p. 29) In a 1999 interview for Star Trek: The Magazine, Fontana stated about the use of euthanasia here, "It was in the Vulcan way, because the argument for allowing the pet to go was its peace of mind; this was the kind thing to do, the peaceful and logical thing to do." (Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 1, Issue 2, p. 87) In a 2003 video interview for StarTrek.com, Fontana thanked God that Gene Roddenberry had supported her decision to keep the euthanasia in the episode, saying the reason she was grateful was "because that, I think, was the power of that particular story, to say that it is kinder to let an animal in pain die with dignity than to keep them alive just for your sake. You know, it was a nice message, it was a moral tale." * In her 2003 video interview, D.C. Fontana also stated, "I looked at 'Yesteryear' not too long ago and I was amazed, myself, having not seen it for a while and not read my own script for a while, how much story we got into that and how complex the story was." She also cited the episode as one of her favorites from the animated series, despite admitting that her opinion was prejudiced. * Star Trek: The Animated Series received a nomination during the First Annual Emmy Awards for Daytime Programming for the 1973-1974 season in the category of "Outstanding Entertainment Childrens Series," based on the submission of this episode. The following year, the animated Star Trek outing won the series its only Emmy. About three decades later (at a point when Billy Simpson admitted that the details surrounding this episode's production were "a bit sketchy"), Billy Simpson recalled what had happened when he had met Hal Sutherland "a couple of years" after the making of this outing; "I recall being approached by Sutherland who proclaimed, 'Billy, do you know you won us an Emmy?!' He was referring to the award won by the animated ''Star Trek. 'Yesteryear' was the episode submitted for academy consideration." http://www.startrekanimated.com/tas_billy_simpson.html * David Gerrold cited this as his favorite TAS episode, further commenting, "''Brilliant storytelling, and some great background on Spock." http://www.startrekanimated.com/tas_david_gerrold.html * J.M. Dillard's reference book Where No One Has Gone Before... (pp. 55 & 56) describes this installment as both "certainly one of the finest episodes of the animated show," and "the show's finest and most popular episode." * Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens have also been highly appreciative of this installment. In their book The Art of Star Trek (pp. 49 & 43), they refer to it as a "moving episode" and an especially good example of "a few exceptions to the generally lack-luster animated episodes." In the DVD documentary "Drawn to the Final Frontier - The Making of Star Trek: The Animated Series", Judith Reeves-Stevens opines that the episode shows a "pretty poignant glimpse" of Spock's childhood. * Another pairing of ''Star Trek production staffers who have exhibited enthusiasm for this outing are Michael and Denise Okuda. In their text commentary for the episode, they describe it as a "very human tale," positively comment on its views of both the time vortex and Vulcan (describing the former as having "beautifully stylized backgrounds" and the latter as incorporating "imaginative vistas"), and state that it was "fortunate" that NBC complied with Gene Roddenberry's advice to "trust Dorothy." The Okudas' text commentary additionally enthuses, "D.C. Fontana's script proved to be a powerful yet sensitive treatment of a very emotional subject .... It took advantage of animation's strengths to tell a story that would not have been possible for the original live-action show. The result is what many fans consider to be the finest episode of the animated ''Star Trek series." The Okudas also note that the prevalence of subsequently-made productions that reuse elements from this episode reflects the outing's importance for the character of Spock. In their text commentary for "Amok Time", the Okudas refer to this episode as a "memorable visit to Vulcan." Likewise, the Okudas' text commentary for "The Forge" states that the episode provided the ''Star Trek audience's "first tantalizing glimpse of a stylized Vulcan cityscape." * The book Star Trek 101 (p. 48), by Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block, cites this installment as "The Best Episode" of Star Trek: The Animated Series. The same publication also raves, " Yesteryear' deals with an interesting science fiction premise and carries the emotional significance found in the best ''Star Trek live-action episodes." Additionally, the book considers this episode to be either the only or most extreme exception to what it describes as the "flawed" nature of numerous episodes from the animated series. * Similarly, the unauthorized reference book ''Beyond the Final Frontier (p. 57) enthusiastically refers to the installment as "the undoubted highlight" of the animated series. That book, which was first published in 2003, goes on to say, "episode transcends the limitations of the animation to present a story that's rich, complex and moving, as well as being a fanboy wet dream. Even now, 'Yesteryear' ranks as one of the best ''Star Trek episodes." * In 1974, D.C. Fontana re-used the plot of this installment for an episode of '' entitled "Elsewhen". * According to Michael and Denise Okuda, this episode's portrayal of the planet Vulcan is of such a scale that it could not be equaled by later productions, "even the higher-budgeted ''Star Trek'' movies and spin-off TV shows ... with matte paintings and location filming." (episode text commentary) Adaptations * This episode was novelized by Alan Dean Foster in Ballantine Books' Star Trek Log 1. * Additionally, this was the second of five Star Trek projects to be adapted into View-Master reels, and was retitled Mr. Spock's Time Trek. There was also a version for use with "talking" View-Masters. Both versions involved 21 pictures. Apocrypha * The Star Trek: Myriad Universes story "The Chimes at Midnight" goes into greater detail about the alternate timeline in which Spock died, focusing mainly on the differences of the events in the films ranging from to . The same story also states that Thelin is, in fact, half-Aenar, accounting for his particularly pale complexion. * Other aspects of this episode have been included in a variety of Star Trek novels. For instance, the phrase "Vulcan's Forge" is not only the name of the desert area on Vulcan but also the title of one particular novel. The planet seen in Vulcan's sky here is named Charis or T'Khut in the novel Spock's World. Video and DVD releases * Released on LaserDisc in analog CX encoded audio, catalog number LV60754-6, . ** Re-released by Paramount and Pioneer: . * UK VHS release (CIC Video): Volume 1, catalog number VHR 2535, . * Released in Japan on LaserDisc, catalog number PILA-1406, . * As part of the ''The Animated Series'' DVD collection: ** Region 1: ** Region 2: *** Re-release: Links and references Starring *William Shatner as Capt. Kirk *Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock :And *DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy Also starring * Majel Barrett as: ** Grey ** Amanda Grayson * James Doohan as: ** Guardian of Forever ** Montgomery Scott ** Thelin ** Erikson ** Bates ** Aleek-Om ** Vulcan healer Guest stars * Mark Lenard as Sarek * Billy Simpson as young Spock * Keith Sutherland as Sepek * Unknown voice actor as ** Sofek ** Stark References 2230; 2237; 2264; 8877; Andorian; annual physical; Aurelia; Aurelians; boots; carry bag; death; desert flyer; Earth; Earther; emotion; Federation history; healer; historian; kahs-wan; L-langon Mountains; le-matya; logic; Lunaport; Orion; Orions; philosophy; physical; poison; practical joke; Sasak; sehlat; Selek; ShiKahr; T'Pel; Tasmeen; Terran; timeline; time vortex planet; Vulcan; Vulcans; Vulcan desert soft suit; Vulcan's Forge; Vulcan history; Vulcan neck pinch; Vulcan desert soft suit; wardrobe section; |next= }} cs:Yesteryear de:Das Zeitportal (TAS) es:Yesteryear fr:Yesteryear nl:Yesteryear pl:Yesteryear Category:TAS episodes